Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will soon lay the foundation stone of the metro-rail project at Uttara here to ease the city’s chronic traffic congestion and ensure comfortable commuting. Communications minister Obaidul Quader told this to reporters during an inspection of the development work of Oxygen-Hathazari Road in Chittagong on Friday. The minister said Tk 32 crore was allocated for the project and more funds would be given if necessary. He said Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the financier of the metro rail project, has agreed to appoint a consultant for the project. “This is a step forward in the construction of the metro rail,” he added.
He said an agreement involving Tk 22,000 crore was signed with JICA. According to the agreement signed on February 20, the Japanese financier will provide a loan of Tk 924 crore to appoint the consultant of the metro rail under the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Development Project. JICA will also give Tk. 165.94 billion for the metro-rail project.
Sources in the communications ministry said the government has decided to begin construction of the metro rail this year and complete the entire project by the fiscal year 2024 in three phases.
Earlier, Quader had said the construction of the much-awaited project would start within the tenure of this government.
The project needs 23-decimal land for implementation of the project at Uttara. Under the project, a 20-kilometre overhead rail track would be constructed from Uttara to Motijheel (Bangladesh Bank) via Pallabi and Sonargaon Hotel areas with a total of 16 stations.
In the first phase, 11-km rail track from Pallabi to Sonargaon Hotel will be completed by 2019, the 4.4 km second phase from Sonargaon Hotel to Bangladesh Bank will be built by 2020 and the third phase of 4.7 km from Uttara to Pallabi will be implemented by 2022.
Out of the total project cost, the government will provide Tk. 53.9 billion, including the expenses for land acquisition, rehabilitation of the affected people and utility relocation.
On December 18, 2012, the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) had approved the country’s first metro rail project to ease traffic congestion in the capital city.
Meanwhile, the minister expressed his resentment over the slow progress of Oxygen-Hathazari Road extension project and issued a show cause notice to executive engineer of Roads and Highways (Chittagong) Ranapriya Barua.
Quader also warned the contractor that he would be black-listed if the road extension work was not completed on time. He also interacted with local people on traffic congestion in the area.
Chairman of Chittagong Development Board Bir Bahadur, MP, joint secretary of Roads Md Belayet Hossain and additional chief engineer Jonayed Ahmed accompanied the minister during the inspection.
-With The Independent input
